Co op and Marketing Development Funds

Haven’t blogged for a while. A new job is taking up quite a bit of time—yay!


One of my responsibilities there is a lot of fun. I’m the person who gets to spend the Marketing Development Funds (MDF) and co-op marketing money.

The way MDFs work is that if you sell a certain dollar amount of the vendor’s product, the vendor offers you marketing money to sell more product. The amount of money is based on your dollar sales. You have to spend it by a certain date, or the credit goes away.

Now I understand why there are so many branded tchotchkes out there. Oops! Your claim date is coming up and the boss’ll be irritated if you don’t act on it. So you order a couple thousand pens with the company logo on them just so you can say you spent the money. Bo-ring.

The perfect promotional item would be the one that delights the customer or prospect. It would make her or him say, “I didn’t realize how much I needed a radiation dosimeter. I’m going to wear this everywhere, with the logo facing out. I’m going to show it to my friends and colleagues and tell them what a great relationship I have with Katharine’s company.”

To evoke that enthusiasm, it better be a darned good gift. Spending MDF money right is obviously a challenge—one I’m looking forward to embracing.

The Ring Cycle: I

I want to create a custom ringtone to give to donors at a fundraiser.

If only I knew how, not just to create the ringtone, but to patent or trademark this innovative idea, I would.

Lloyd can make me an MP3 file. The problem is how to load it on my own phone and onto donors’ phones.

So I type “custom ringtone” and “create ringtone” into my search engine. Result:

• make your own ringtones,online ringtone maker,free custom ringtones,free ...
• Create free MP3 ringtones for your cell phone. .... Free T-Mobile Ringtones • Free Apple iPhone Wallpapers • Make Your Own MP3 Ringtones Online! ...
• Make m4r Ringtones Online: computer rpg tetris pokemon monopoly. Make Free Midi Ringtones, Make Money Online Toolbar, Ringtones Librarian.

 I’m suspicious.

  

My mother-in-law is so cautious that she won’t visit blogs, even mine. But I don’t think it’s hypercautious not to want to visit a free ringtone site.

•  You already know that the creators are technically savvy enough to transmit information to your phone, and presumably to your computer as well.
• Why are they offering this ability to you for free? What’s in it for them?
• Could they plan to deliver malware to your pc? Or to your phone?
• Even if most of them are honest, how do you know you won’t land on the malefactor?

Note that I didn’t search for “free ringtone.” I’d rather pay a few bucks and

• Not feel guilty for depriving someone of a due livelihood
• Not worry that I couldn’t really trust the supplier
• Otherwise live with the boring ringtones I already have

In the end, the donors who install the ringtone on their phones are going to have to trust me, especially if they have to hand me their SIM cards to insert into a multi-card reader (though I hope there's an easier way). I need a solution I can trust.

I’ll keep you posted.

Off-the-wall idea for churches and houses of worship

 

Houses of worship of any religion should always be looking for ways to attract new members.  Here’s one you may want to try.

Distribute a letter to recent arrivals and neighbors.

• ·        For neighbors, use church volunteers and door hangers.  Target the houses and apartments nearby.  The more volunteers you have, the farther afield you can go.
• ·        For new arrivals, check municipal records for property transfers and mail out the letters.

The letter:

Welcome to (community name)!   (Or “Hello, neighbor.”)  If you’re interested in joining a house of worship, the congregation at (house of worship name) invites you to visit us at (address). 

(House of worship) is special because (unique selling proposition).

Our services are at (day and time).  If you have questions, please visit us on the internet at (URL) or call us at (telephone number).

Whether you decide to join our congregation or not, if you visit us we’d appreciate your honest and anonymous feedback about how you felt when you visited.  Here’s an anonymous survey.  If you care to fill it out, please send it to (PO Box number/city/state/ZIP)

We hope to see you soon.

Sincerely,

(Religious leader name)

(Religious leader title)

PS If you’d like more information, please do call us at (telephone number).  We promise no sales pitches!

The survey

Thank you for visiting us at (house of worship).  Your anonymous answers to this survey will help us understand how new visitors feel when they visit us.

Why did you visit (house of worship)?

• ·        I received a letter.
• ·        A friend or neighbor invited me.
• ·        Special occasion:
• ·        Holiday service
• ·        Special service such as a funeral
• ·        Other ___________________________________________________________________

• ·        When you visited us, did at least one person greet you with a friendly smile and an introduction?     Yes/No
• ·        Did anyone invite you to return?  Yes/No

•  ·        Was the building itself welcoming?  (Were there any physical barriers that made it difficult for you to participate in the service?) __________________________________________________________________

• ·        Have you visited a (denomination) church before? Yes/No
• ·        Was it difficult to follow the service? Yes/No
• ·        If it was difficult, why was it difficult to follow the service? ________________________________________________________________
•  
• ·        What did you think was the best thing about our service or our welcome?  ________________________________________________________________
• ·        What did you think was the least positive thing about our service or our welcome? _________________________________________________________________ 

Please answer the questions below on a scale from 1 to 5, with 1 meaning “completely untrue,” 3 meaning “neutral,” and 5 meaning “completely true.”

                                                

                                                  Untrue           Neutral           True

                                                          

I felt welcome at the service        1         2        3          4          5

I might return to (house of

                                 Worship)         1         2        3          4          5

• ·        Is there anything else you'd like to tell us about your time with us?   __________________________________________________________________

                         

Thank you so much for filling out this survey!  We’re always trying to ensure that (house of worship) is as welcoming as possible.  Your opinions will help us.

Please mail this survey to PO Box number/city/state/ZIP

A special note from (religious leader): Thanks again for visiting us!  We hope we’ll see you again at (house of worship).

(Signature)

I can’t think of any congregation that wouldn’t benefit from feedback from visitors.  You’re welcome to use this idea, and if you do, I’d appreciate your opinions!

Happy new year.

Boomers, Brace Yourselves for the Brash

When I was interviewing at a law firm, I called an attorney friend of mine.

"How would you market a law firm?" I asked. I heard him stiffen over the phone.

"I wouldn't," he said through clenched teeth. He went on to tell me that when he worked at The Great White Shoe Law Firm, his business card didn't even include his telephone number.

Silent Generation, meet the Class of 2010. Maybe the law firm's understated campaign was a reaction to the breadlines of the Depression. It was probably a relief not to have to scrounge for the next client or customer, and a source of pride to stay aloof from sordid promotion.

Check out the picture of the woman with a sandwich board in Something's not working The Economist's story about the current US labor market. Her sign reads "Jennifernyc@earthlink.net/LAID-OFF/TODAY/9:45 A.M./HIRE ME."

Can "Will Work for Food" be far behind?

As The Economist points out, "about as many Americans are working as in the autumn of 1999-in a population that is larger by 28m." Competition is stiff, especially among those with no job experience. I predict that we will see self-promotion in this cohort that will horrify older generations.

500 LinkedIn contacts. Business cards at church. Realtor-style name badges. Email blasts. Skywriting, if they can afford it. Effrontery and chutzpah, because the ones who fail to market themselves will be left behind, even with their expensive college educations.

"How...tacky," I can already hear people sniff. "I didn't push myself on people like that. They look so desperate."

Actually, they are desperate. Wall Street Journal humorist Joe Queenan writes in A Lament for the Class of 2010, "Baby Boomers conveniently forget that it didn't set anyone back a year's salary to go to college in the 1960s and 1970s, and that college graduates back then were not entering a work force filled with other college grads."

These youngsters are competing for a limited number of jobs. They're competing against people with a lot more experience. Get ready now for a lot of young people who want your job, or any job. The smart ones are going to figure out how to promote themselves just the way Oscar-Mayer pushes processed meat.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I think I'll go look for a name badge.

Edit: you may also be interested in this comment on job prospects in the UK.

Refer a Friend to Buy a Mercedes

Friend or relative planning to buy a new car? Refer them to Ray Catena Motors for a referral fee of $100-225. More innovatively, I see in the paper that Ray Catena Mercedes is advertising for manicurists for a new nail salon at the dealership. I love the idea of nipping in for a mani-pedi and getting an oil change at the same time.